Category: Music

The number one song today in 1965:

Three years later, the singer of the number one song in Britain announced …

Today in 1976, Chicago released what would become its first number one single:

Darrell “Dash” Crofts, the latter half of Seals and Crofts …

… was born one year before David Crosby of the Byrds and Crosby Stills Nash (and occasionally Young):

Tim Bogert of Vanilla Fudge:

Today in 1992, Tony Williams, the first singer of the Platters, died:

This was the number one song in Britain today in 1964 (a song brought back to popularity by the movie “Stripes”):

That same day, the Kinks hit the British charts for the first time with …

This was, of course, the number one song in the U.S. today in 1966:

That same day, the number one album in the U.K.  was the Beatles’ “Revolver”:

That same day, the Supremes hit the charts for the first time by reminding listeners that …

Speaking of the Beatles: Today in 1971, John Lennon left on a jet plane from Heathrow Airport in London to New York, and never set foot in Britain again. (Despite Richard Nixon’s efforts to deport Lennon.)

Today in 1980, four masked burglars broke into the New York home of Todd Rundgren, tied him up, and stole audio equipment and paintings. According to reports, during the break-in one of them was humming …

The only birthday of note today is Dan Fogelberg:

Today in 1968, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham played together for the first time when they rehearsed at a London studio. You know them as Led Zeppelin:

Today in 1972, this was the number one song in Britain, which is odd since school was indeed out at the time:

(That, by the way, is a song that will be played as long as school exists.)

These are not rock music birthdays, but since country music is one of the fathers of rock, I’ll note that Buck Owens and Porter Wagoner are celebrating birthdays today.

Today’s first birthday is the writer of “Hit the Road Jack,” Percy Mayfield:

Cliff Fish of one-hit-wonder Paperlace:

Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits:

Jerry Speiser of Men at Work:

Roy Hay of Culture Club:

Today in 1985, Kyu Sakamoto died in a plane crash in Japan. He was the first Japanese artist to have a U.S.-number-one song, in 1963:

Today in 1964, the Beatles movie “A Hard Day’s Night” opened in New York:

Two years later, the Beatles opened their last American concert tour on the same day that John Lennon apologized for saying that the Beatles were “more popular than Jesus. … Look, I wasn’t saying The Beatles are better than God or Jesus, I said ‘Beatles’ because it’s easy for me to talk about The Beatles. I could have said ‘TV’ or ‘Cinema’, ‘Motorcars’ or anything popular and would have got away with it…”

Today in 1976, the Who drummer Keith Moon collapsed and was hospitalized in Miami.

You might have the knack for music trivia if you can identify the number one today in 1979:

Today in 1984, President Reagan either forgot or ignored the dictum that one should always assume a microphone is open:

Birthdays start with Manfred Mann drummer Mike Hegg:

James Kale of the Guess Who …

… was born the same day as Denis Payton, one of the Dave Clark Five:

Joe Jackson:

Who is Richie Beau? You know him better as Richie Ramone:

Today, this would be the sort of thing to embellish a band’s image. Not so in 1959, when four members of The Platters were arrested on drug and prostitution charges following a concert in Cincinnati when they were discovered with four women (three of them white) in what was reported as “various stages of undress.” Despite the fact that none of the Platters were convicted of anything, the Platters (who were all black) were removed from several radio stations’ playlists.

Speaking of odd music anniversaries: Today in 1985, Michael Jackson purchased the entire Beatles music library for more than $45 million.

Birthdays begin with Leo Fender, who never recorded music as far as I know, but had a primary role in rock and roll because of the guitar that bore his name.

Bobby Hatfield, who formerly lived in Beaver Dam, was one of the Righteous Brothers:

Phil Spector produced the Righteous Brothers. Phil’s ex-wife, Ronnie, also has a birthday today:

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull:

Eric Braunn of Iron Butterfly:

John Farriss of INXS:

Michael Bivins of Bell Biv Devoe:

We begin with our National Anthem, which will be sung today by birthday girl Whitney Houston:

Today in 1975, the Bee Gees hit number one, even though they were just just just …

Birthdays start with Harry Mills of the Mills Brothers:

Billy Henderson of the Spinners (sometimes called the Detroit Spinners in contrast to a British group of the same name):

Two anniversaries today demonstrate the fickle nature of the pop charts. This is the number one song today in 1960:

Three years later, the Kingsmen released “Louie Louie.” Some radio stations refused to play it because they claimed it was obscene. Which is ridiculous, because the lyrics were not obscene, merely incomprehensible:

Today in 1969, while the Beatles were wrapping up work on “Abbey Road,” they shot the album cover:

One year later, Blood Sweat & Tears’ “Blood Sweat & Tears 3” hit number one:

Birthdays start with Philip Baisley, one of the Statler Brothers:

Jay David of Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show:

Airrion Love of the Stylistics:

Ali Score played drums for A Flock of Seagulls:

Chris Foreman of Madness:

Ricki Rockett of Poison:

Who is Dave Evans? The Edge of U2:

Birthdays today start with the singer of perhaps the most inappropriate song for a Western in the history of movies, B.J. Thomas:

Kerry Chater of Gary Puckett and the Union Gap:

Richard Joswick of the one-hit-wonder Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods (and exactly which war does this song refer to?):

Bruce Dickinson (not this Bruce Dickinson) of Iron Maiden:

Jacquie O’Sullivan of Bananarama:

One death anniversary: Esther Phillips, today in 1984:

The Bananarama birthday brings up this cover that, like yesterday, was done in the same key:

Today in 1965, the Beatles sought “Help” in purchasing an album:

Birthdays start with Green Bay native Pat Macdonald of Timbuk 3, which formed in Madison and found that …

Randy DeBarge of DeBarge:

Time for another trip to coverland, because …

First, a non-rock anniversary: Today is the 90th anniversary of the first broadcasted baseball game, on KDKA in Pittsburgh: Harold Arlen described Pittsburgh’s 8–0 win over Philadelphia. (Things have changed since then.)

Today in 1966, the Beatles recorded “Yellow Submarine” …

… and “Eleanor Rigby” …

… while also releasing their “Revolver” album.

One year later, the pirate rock radio station Radio London, eight miles off the British coast in the ship MV Galaxy, broadcasted for the final time after the British Parliament passed a law making it illegal:

Today in 1974, Joan Jett formed the Runaways:

Birthdays begin with Rick Huxley, one of the Dave Clark Five:

Sammi Smith was a one-crossover-hit wonder:

Who is Rick Zehringer? You know him better as Rick Derringer …

Another one-hit wonder: Samantha Sang, who sang …

Pete Burns of Dead or Alive:

Mike Nocito of Johnny Hates Jazz:

Two deaths of note: Jeff Porcaro, drummer for Toto, in 1992 …

… and the Real Don Steele in 1997: